Dodgers Stop the Reds, 5-3

 

Following a perfect collapse by Mat Latos and the Dodgers last night, the Dodgers took it back out on the Cincinnati Reds with a 5-3 victory tonight at Dodger Stadium.

New Dodger starter Alex Wood pitched a solid six innings against the Reds, and Adrian Gonzales broke the game open with a three-run homer in the fifth inning. Kenley Jansen shut down the Reds in the top of the ninth order to preserve the victory, and nab his 23rd save.

Said Wood of any expectations on him in his role as starter, “The expectations are high anywhere you go, though they are especially high here. I just try to do the best I can.”

Woods gave up two big hits to Reds slugger Joey Votto, which accounted for all of the Reds’ scoring, but other than what we called his “two mistakes,” Wood’s pitching was quiet and solid.

“That’s why we got him,” said Adrian Gonzales, whose home run scored three and put the game out of reach for at least a little while, untill Votto’s homer in the seventh.

Kike Hernandez, Justin Turner and Jimmy Rollins also had big hit games, with Hernandez getting three hits, Turner going two f0r three with an RBI and Rollins going two for four.

It was the Dodgers third victory in four games.

Here’s how we blogged it:

It’s the second game of a four-game home stand against the Cincinnati Reds. The Dodgers dropped the opener last night, 10-3. Los Angeles took two of three games from Washington earlier in the week, and will face Cincinnati six more times in its next 11 games.

New aquisition Alex Wood will take the mound tonight against the Reds for his first appearance against them, and John Lamb will make his major league debut for the Reds tonight. (lamb is the grandson of former Dodger announcer John Sawyer.)

Following the Reds series, the Dodgers will embark on an eight-game, 11-day road trip to Oakland (2 G), Houston (3 G) and Cincinnati (3 G).

Los Angeles has the fifth-best record in the Majors and continues to lead the NL in home runs (139, nine more than Colorado) and on-base percentage (.330), while being tied with the Cubs for the most walks in the big leagues (394). The Dodgers are 39-20 (.661) at home, just below pace for one of the best records in Dodger Stadium history:

Watch our pregame interview with Dodger Manager Don Mattingly here: http://tinyurl.com/qj4p9yt

Game Start: 7:10

Temperature: 84

Attendance: 43,407

FIRST INNING
TOP

Brandon Phillips is so out at first.

Eugenio Suarez, meanwhile, strolls to first.

Joey Votto, he of the fine two-day stubble, gets to 2-2, then doubles to right, as the Dodgers seem to react in slow-motion. Suarez scores from first.

Todd Frazier flies out to Adrian Gonzales.

Jay Bruce gets to 1-1, then grounds out to first.

Cincinnati 1, Dodgers 0.

Bottom

Jimmy Rollins doubles to deeeeep left.

Kiké Hernandez beats out a single, with some nifty base running, to get himself out of a jam of his own making.

Justin Turner sacrfices to deep left, scoring Hernandez. Just like that, we are tied and whatnot.

Adrian Gonzales gets to 2-2, as Kike tries to steal second. Back he goes. Kike tries one more time, as Gonzales strikes out. They are both out, say it with me, not in a good way.

Dodgers 1, Reds 1

SECOND INNING

Top

Marlon Byrd (No relation) gets to 2-1, then grounds out to first, like in a baseball training video.

Bryan Pena is at 2-1, just like that, and now the count is full. And there he goes, running off to first base.

John Lamb, new pitcher guy, goes to 0-2, then 1-2, to make it interesting, before swinging in to the sky.

Billy Hamilton hits one right at Joc Pederson.

Dodgers 1, Reds 1

SECOND INNING

Top

Marlon Byrd (No relation) gets to 2-1, then grounds out to first, like in a baseball training video.

Bryan Pena is at 2-1, just like that, and now the count is full. And there he goes, running off to first base.

John Lamb, new pitcher guy, goes to 0-2, then 1-2, to make it interesting, before swinging in to the sky.

Billy Hamilton hits one right at Joc Pederson.

Dodgers 1, Reds 1

Bottom

Scott Van Slyke grounds out to first.

Yasiel Ouig drops a single into right.

Yasmani Grandal finds himself all struck out.

Joc Pederson is 0-2, then 1-2, then is stricken out. (John Lamb has a LOT of tattoos.)

Dodgers 1, Reds 1

THIRD INNING
TOP

Suarez singles to first

Votto (No relation) strikes all out.

Todd Frazier hits into a<em> play doublé</em>

Dodgers 1, Reds 1

BOTTOM

Pitcher Alex Wood gets walked by the pitcher.

Jimmy Rollins flies out to short right.

It’s Kiké! He strikes out!

Justin Turner, looking like the bass player in a 70s southern rock band, gets a little chin music from Lamb. He responds with a shot straight to short center field. Rock on.

Gonzales changes the station with a fly out to left.

Dodgers 1, Reds 1

BOTTOM

Led Zeppelin on the PA. It’s Scott Van Slyke. Strike one. Strike two. Strike three.

Yasiel Puig gets to 0-2, make that 0-3.

Grandal gets to 2-2, then flies out in very foul territory.

Dodgers 1, Reds 1

FIFTH INNING

Top

John Lamb strikes out.

Billy Hamilton grounds out to first.

Brandon Phillips flies out.

Dodgers 1, Reds 1

BOTTOM

Joc Pederson, after a foul tip bangs into catcher Brayan Pena, earns a walk.

Alex Wood hits a spinning pop bunt that is caught by Brayan, who fires to first to catch Pederson sleeping between first and second.

Rollins singles to short center.

Kike Hernandez singles to center. Rollins scoots over.

Turner singles to left, scoring Rollins.

Gonzales homers on a 1-0 pitch,  into the right field bullpen. It’s his 23rd homey.

Van Slyke grounds out to first.

Dodgers 5, Reds 1

SIXTH INNING
TOP

Suarez walks .

Joey Votto answers the call with a two-run shot to left center. It’s his 21st homey.

jay Bruce grounds out to first.

Marlon Byrd is out at first.

Dodgers 5, Reds 2

SEVENTH INNING

TOP

Brayan Pena grounds out

Jason Bourgeois is in at pinch hitter for Los Rojos. Wood gets replaced by Jim Johnson.

Bourgeois is out at first.

Billy Hamilton strikes out looking. At what, we’re not sure.

(More than 45,000 people sing.)

<em>Dodgers 5, Reds 3</em>

BOTTOM

Burke Badenhop now pitching for the Reds.

Carl Crawford earns his paycheck and gets his name in the paper with a single to right.

Rollins (Crawford is caught stealing. No charges filed. Hang on. The call is being reviewed…Okay, he is still out.)

Back to Rollins. He quietly strikes out. Ssssh.

It’s Kiké! He goes to 3-1, then singles up the middle as you please.

Turner hits into an almost double-play, but it’s still the end of the inning.

<em>Dodgers 5, Reds 3</em>

EIGHTH INNING

TOP

Pedro Baez now pitching for the Dodgers.

( A wave sputters and flames out along the third base line. It was never really planned properly, I dont think…)

Brandon Phillips pops out to second

Suarez flies out to deep center.

Votto flies out to left.

Dodgers 5, Reds 3

BOTTOM

Jumbo Diaz is now pitching for the Reds. We’ll see about that.

Gonzales is out first. At first.

Ethier doubles to deep right field.

Puig (Ethier goes to third as a wild pitch gets away from Pena.) goes to 2-1, 2-2, then 3-2, then strikes out.

Grandal goes to 2-2, 3-2, and earns a walk for his patience.

Joc Pederson goes to 2-2, then 3-2, then walks to load the bases. Jumbo and Pena are having a chat show on the mound.